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Profile

SKIP is a UK and US registered charity working in the impoverished districts of El Porvenir and Alto Trujillo, located on the North Coast of Peru. SKIP's primary aim is to enable children living in this area to realise their right to an education.

In terms of theoretical framework, we understand that families are the principal force in the lives of children and therefore work with the entire familial unit. This holistic approach focuses on four pillars of family development: education, economically stable families, emotional well-being, and healthy and safe home environments.

SKIP believes that economically-disadvantaged families have the capacity to be the principal agents of change in their own lives and communities. As such, we work in partnership with the community to empower people to make sustainable changes in their own lives.

History

Over the past few years, we have seen a dramatic increase in participation in the SKIP programs. Between the end of 2008 and 2010 we saw a rise from about 15 percent to 69 percent of children with consistent attendance. This means the number of children in the office and the demand in classroom space has risen substantially.

We began construction of a 3 new rooms in 2010. We were planning on using these as much needed office space but as child attendance kept increasing, we realised we would need to use them as classrooms.

We thought we were going to receive support for funding windows and doors from a local source but that fell through and so we have been using the rooms for the past 4 months despite the fact that they have no windows or doors. This is difficult as the children are distracted by what is going on outside and we are also concerned that the rooms will be cold in winter, which is now fast approaching. The smallest of the three rooms is being used for individual therapy with the psychologist and this is not ideal as they are discussing confidential information and there is very little privacy.

Finally, we also need to raise the wall around the passage around the building as it is only 2 feet high and we are very worried about children falling.

Impact

We have begun to see impressive results with regard to project impact. In 2010 we placed a new emphasis on statistical data collection so we would be able to track progress and identify areas of the programme that required further development.
• In Grade 1 Primary, 96% of children stayed the same or improved, including 46% who improved at writing words. 20% improved from 0% to 80% on writing words
• 80% of children in Primary Grades 2-6 improved their reading grade and 60% improved by two or more reading levels.
• Families in the programme are four and a half times as likely to be registered for free government health care as other families living in El Porvenir and Alto Trujillo.
• 17 young people from the Secondary Programme are receiving scholarships to study English at a private language institute in Trujillo. This also provides them access to a full library and computer suite.

Team Credentials

SkIP has been working in El Porvenir for over 7 years. We have a large volunteer team of both Peruvian nationals and international volunteers which has numbered over 50 people at points in 2011. The team is a mix of qualified professionals and volunteers looking for experience in international development.

We have formed solid working partnerships with local organisations and are well respected in the local community which affords us the safety to travel freely in and out of what is considered to be a dangerous neighbourhood.

In 2010 we began a parent volunteering project where parents help with the primary teaching programme during the afternoons. This was a success in 2010 and we are continuing this in 2011, along with plans to start training a group of young people from the Secondary Programme, so we can slowly encourage this community to realize that the future of their childrens' education actually rests in their hands.

Updates

It has been a while since we received the donation from Givology and we figured it was about time to show some photos of the construction work that we were able to do. The two rooms have been completed with windows and doors. One is now a staff room where we are able to prepare classes and store materials. [img]/images/user/2032_6742290575396268180.png[/img] The other room has been used as a classroom for children to study [img]/images/user/2032_15726065340524467758.png[/img] and also a training room for parents and carers when they come to SKIP for workshops hosted by the social work team. [img]/images/user/2032_5980037967195507412.png[/img] In July 2016 we were also treated to a new paint job by a group of volunteers from Leeds University in the UK. As you can see from the photo, they weren't quite able to reach the upper levels for the painting, but we're sure you'll agree that the overall effect is still to create a fun learning environment for the children of which ...

As winter began in Peru this May 2011, SKIP launched a project with Givology to raise money for windows and doors for our newly constructed rooms. When funding for the project did not come through as expected, we had been forced to start using one of the rooms as a classroom in January as we simply did not have enough space for all the children! Throughout summer the lack of windows and doors was not too much of a problem as it was warm and the extra ventilation was fine. As winter began, though, the children were getting cold during their lessons and were finding it hard to concentrate. The mothers who also have meetings in one of the rooms were also complaining that they were getting very cold as they sat and listened to the workshops. We launched the Givology project as quickly as possible and 2 months later were relieved when we reveived a huge donation of more than half the money we needed which completed the appeal and meant that we could start work. We have now completed putt...